


Bio-Core

by AngriRiku



Category: Original Work
Genre: Gen, Original Fiction, Prequel, Urban Fantasy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-20
Updated: 2021-01-20
Packaged: 2021-03-18 17:40:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,679
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28870965
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AngriRiku/pseuds/AngriRiku
Summary: Rumors are abound that the MPIS, Magical Phenomena Investigative Services, are looking for an individual under direct orders of the mega-corporation, the Adimari Corporation. In their search, they've kidnapped several people. Those that come back never are the same. The rumors reach the ears of a young, aspiring investigative journalist named Amelia Weiss, who resolves to get to the truth of the matter. Instead of answers, Amelia finds herself with more questions, especially when she comes face to face with the Adimari Corporation's fabled target.
Kudos: 1





	Bio-Core

**Author's Note:**

> Hello!
> 
> This work was originally submitted to an anthology magazine under a different name. It was in the running for a bit, but, ultimately, it didn't get accepted. Beforehand, I told myself that I would post the story publicly if it was declined for the anthology. I did make some slight adjustments to the piece, but it's nothing major.
> 
> To reiterate; This is an original work with original characters. This is not a fanwork in the slightest.

Her lungs burn as she gasps for breath. Her feet ache as she was not wearing appropriate running shoes thinking she wouldn’t get chased. The woman’s body was no doubt desperate for respite, but the adrenaline in her system kept her going. She had to get away. She could hear the ruckus of footsteps and the shouts ordering her to stop. She hadn’t looked to see how far away they were but based on the nearness of the sounds; they were going to gain if she didn’t shake them off her trail. She keeps moving, intent on losing her pursuers, ignoring the thought in the back of her mind that the endeavor was pointless because she was being chased by the MPIS, Magical Phenomena Investigative Services. 

She had heard the rumors that the MPIS were grabbing anyone with an iota of magical ability and carting them off. Rumors that the Adimari Corporation, the owners of the MPIS, were searching for someone in particular, but no one knew who or why. Not that the who or why mattered, because people taken by the MPIS were never quite the same afterwards, if they even came back at all. As a freelance reporter, she wanted to look into it. To see if the rumors were true by doing an investigation late into the night, when security was thinner. That backfired terribly.

A dead end stops her path. Panicking, she searched for anything that could aid her escape, but there was nothing at all. She was cornered, and now, surrounded. Her legs shook, and she pressed against the wall for support with a silent hope it would swallow her up. She wasn’t focusing on what they were saying, just that they were coming closer and closer. Out of nowhere, an energy blast sent them away. A figure appeared, having jumped down from somewhere.

She looked the figure over. At first glance, she would have thought the person was a LARPer or cosplayer on the way to an event, but in this situation this person was seemingly otherworldly. Adorning their body was a knee-length coat and dark knee-high boots. The outfit seemed simple, but each were heavily decorated with ornate markings. The woman could only see them from the back until the person, with a wave of their hand, erected a barrier and turned toward her. Their eyes were glowing purple. “Are you alright?” the person asked. She nodded. “Can you stand?” she nodded in response again. Her rescuer extends a hand decorated with an elaborate finger claw armor. Accepting the stranger’s hand, the woman is helped off the ground. “Stay close to me, hold on to my shoulders if you need to.” they instructed in a soft voice, bringing their hands together. Several glows formed a magical circle under their feet. Although unsure, the woman stays close. If her choice for abductor was between the mysterious stranger or the MPIS, she was going to take the stranger. 

“Halt!” one of the crew still standing orders. “Turn yourself in and we’ll spare the girl.” The stranger scoffs.

“Do you think I’ll buy that for a second?” the stranger asks. The circle was complete, glowing dimly. “Hold tight.” they muttered. On cue, the portal glows brightly, causing the MPIS to shield their eyes. Similarly, the girl to closes her eyes and tightens her grip on her rescuer’s shoulders. The warmth of the spell’s energy faded away slowly being replaced with cool air. “You can open your eyes now.” the stranger tells her. Hesitantly, she opens one eye to scan her surroundings. Opening her second eye, she realizes how familiar it is. This was the wood park outside the city. “C’mon, if they’re smart, they’ll track the energy signature.” the stranger yells and the girl follows.

“Why here?” she asked as she followed. “They’d find us easily. This park isn’t big; and it’s only thirty minutes away from the city.” She noticed that the person’s outfit slowly dematerialized into a black tunic length hoodie and the boots became regular sneakers. The elaborate finger claws had gone away. Upon reaching a clearing, she stopped. “Who are you?” she asked. The rescuer stopped as well, pulling down their hood and turning on a flashlight. Voluminous dark brown, wavy hair cascaded down. The rescuer turned around. The glowing purple eyes were nor more and instead they were a dark brown. She could see a rich, ochre brown skin with reddish-brown undertones. The stranger was thinking over the questions.

“Alright, my name’s Ashe. Getting another question you may have out of the way, I use ‘he’ and ‘they’ pronouns.” the stranger answered. “As you said, they’d find us easily here, but this isn’t where we’re going to be hiding.” he began walking again past the clearing back into the trees. The girl followed. “What’s your name?” Ashe asked.

“Amelia, and I use ‘she’ and ‘her’.” she answered, following Ashe's example. She had so many questions for Ashe. “So, what are we doing here if we aren’t hiding here?” Amelia asked.

“Throwing them off.” Ashe answered. “I said earlier that they would track the energy. If I went to my target location, then they’d find us.” They reached a small cave opening, wide enough for one person. “One moment,” Ashe closed his eyes and outstretched his hand, “Twixt the planes form a transient path.” The cave’s entrance showed a location. The location was hard to make out because of the warped projection. “Come on, it’s temporary.” he goes through with no issue. 

“I’ve come this far.” Amelia thought to herself, entering the glowing cave. She was greeted to the sight of more woods, but there was a house fit for a single person. Going off of how Ashe was casually walking up to the entrance while digging in his pockets, she surmised that this was his house. “You live here? Where are we? Who are you really?” Exasperated, Ashe sighed, opening the door.

“Yes, I live here. We’re in a non-recreational wooded area around two hours from the city. And I don’t understand what you mean by ‘who’ in this case.” he answered, entering his house. Amelia stepped in after.

“Magic is something that didn’t exist until recently, but you’re here able to do things that many are dreaming they could do,” Amelia began. “Without the help of an arcane core, unless you’re going to tell me that quartz necklace you’re wearing is one.” Ashe stopped in his tracks. “You had to have heard the rumors about the MPIS and the Adimari Corporation, right?” Amelia asked. 

“I have not.” Ashe responded.

“Supposedly, the Adimari Corporation is looking for a person. In their search, they have been grabbing people with any form of innate magical ability. No one knows who exactly this person is, but people have theorized who it most likely must be.” Amelia pulled out her phone, opened her browser and typed in a name before showing the best image result to Ashe. It was the image of a masked person taken in the year of 2012. From the way Ashe’s face went from inquisitive to astonished, Amelia figured Ashe knew something. “The mysterious person who became known to the world during the Cyrene Event in 2012. They’ve since disappeared, but it’s not too far of a stretch to believe that this is the person they are searching for.” Amelia explained. “By your facial expression, I would say you know this person. However, I’m going to go off what I’ve seen and assume that this is you.” Amelia pocketed her phone.

“And if I told you the answer, what would you do?” Ashe asked. “Would you turn me in to the Adimari Corporation?” Amelia only shook her head.

“Not after you helped me out.” Amelia replied. “Plus, I couldn’t do that even if I wanted to. You’re far stronger than anyone who exists.” she pointed out.

“Fair point. To answer your question, yes. I am that person.” Ashe relaxed his stance. “So, they’re looking for me again? Figured that would happen.” he spoke loud enough that Amelia heard him.

“That’s what I was looking into before I was found out.” Amelia answered. “This isn’t the first time?” Ashe shook his head in response to Amelia’s question.

“Absolutely not. They have hunted me down because of my magical ability before. The Cyrene Event resulted from that, but I don’t get why they are going after random people at all.” Ashe sat on the couch. There was a pregnant pause as Ashe seemed to be deep in his own thoughts. “What else is there to the rumors?” Ashe asks Amelia.

“Only that the returnees either fervently join the MPIS or the Adimari Corporation. Assuming they ever come back at all.” Amelia notices Ashe’s discomfort. “They state to be looking for you, but anyone they grab on accident is-”

“It’s not an accident.” Ashe interrupts. “The Adimari Corporation never does things by accident.” The swiftness with which Ashe got up startled Amelia as he mutters to himself. “Before I go deep into conspiracies, you can help yourself to food and drink.” he mentions before immediately going back into his thoughts.

“So, they’re actively targeting people with innate magical abilities then?” Amelia asks as Ashe pulls out a tablet and stylus. “Why do you say it’s random, magic is-”

“Magic is something everyone can do.” Ashe states, looking down at his tablet as he writes. “It didn’t just come into existence. It has made a comeback. Think about what I just told you; did you not find it odd that I was being hunted down for my magical ability in 2012 when many are just now awakening to their own abilities?” he questioned. Admittedly, Amelia had just now realized he said that. “There was an ancient seal that prevented everyone from truly harnessing the ability, but the seal wasn’t perfect. Those that tried hard enough to cultivate magical ability could do so then and it remains the same now.” He explained. “Prophetic dreams, spells, curses, etc. is magic being manifested.”

“That still doesn’t explain your ability. You made two portals and one was while you had a barrier around us. Unless you’ve been using your abilities since your childhood then-” Amelia stopped. Thinking back to the time where there were rumors of a kid with powers that seemed like they were straight out of a magical girl anime. Standing up with a start, Amelia pointed at Ashe. “Are you that kid from way back when?!”

“Some changes and revelations occurred since then, but yes, I was that kid from 2006.” Ashe answered. 

“I thought your name was familiar,” Amelia accused. “Ugh! Every answer just spawns more questions. Magic making a comeback? Everyone can use it? And even though you've used magic longer than anyone else, that doesn’t explain how you manage to friggin’ teleport!”

“Well, let’s make a deal then Amelia.” Ashe says, noting her face of disbelief. “Trust and believe, I'm not a fae. I’m offering you a deal that can help you out.”

“What’s the deal?” Amelia hesitantly asks.

“You want information on the Adimari Corp. and the MPIS and I want the same thing,” he starts. “The problem is that they can’t spot the both of us, or we’re screwed. So, I can train you on magic. You ever play Dungeons & Dragons and see the spells like ‘Pass without a trace’,” Amelia nods. “The deal is this; I can train you, teach you how to harness magic, and you can take that magic and use it for your benefit. All I ask is that if you find anything that’s related to their plans, you also relay to me.”

“But I can’t even use magic!” Amelia shouts in disbelief.

“Yes, you can. Literally everyone can use magic.” Ashe retorted. “Think about the concepts of life having energy. Notice how that’s an old philosophical and religious belief that seems to be prevalent from the Àṣẹ of the Yoruba people to the concept of Qi in China. It’s because that’s how magic works, sort of. When a witch casts a spell, the spell works because they will it into existence using their own energy or the energy of their components. Have you ever tried using magic?”

“I have, and it never worked. I could never conjure fire or heal a plant like some of my friends can now.” Amelia fires back.

“Do you want to conjure fire?” Ashe asks. 

“W-well, not really.” Amelia answers.

“Do you want to heal plants? Do you want to manipulate water? Do you even want to levitate?” Ashe continues. “If the only reason you did so was to sate a mild curiosity or for a joke, then it would never work. You only wanted to see if it could happen, you didn’t want to make it happen. Be honest, what would you rather channel your energy to do, Amelia? If it helps, think of it like superpowers.”

Amelia thought for a moment. “Well, I always wanted to become invisible and teleport. Being able to disguise myself and sneak around.” There was a silent pause. “You could really teach me how to do that?” she asks.

“I can teach you how to harness your power and the way I teleport, but it’s up to you to discover your own way of doing things.” Ashe clarifies.

“I won’t lie, the deal is tempting.” Amelia noted. Logically, only a fool would take someone they just met up on a deal, especially when the ‘someone’ is being hunted by a global, privatized military force. However, Amelia never considered herself logical. The MPIS still pursued her well outside the confines of that base. That was more than enough for Amelia to know that the MPIS is up to something suspicious with their abductions. “Alright Teach, you have a deal.”

—

Throughout the weeks of her training, Amelia would give small tidbits of information she would find out. They slowly realized that the information Amelia was getting was only snippets of a larger picture. The Adimari Corporation was sending out representatives scout talent for an academy they are starting. There was no mention of abductions in the documents, only orders on what to do with trespassers.

“We won’t get much out of the small bases. We’d have to risk going into their headquarters.” Ashe told Amelia as they reviewed the information they had. “I can go this alone. The last thing I want is for you to get caught.” 

“I want to go.” Amelia says to him. “Even if they wanted people to join this academy, that doesn’t really explain why they're keeping it a secret or why they’re searching for you.” Amelia points out. 

“Well, I won’t stop you. But this is their headquarters, so we must come up with a plan. Your training is going to get harder from here on out too.” Ashe warned. He wasn’t lying. Ashe taught her how to enchant a cloak to be invisible. This helped her obtain information for her reports. It was a different story when it came time for the physical training. Amelia had thought that the sessions were too intense until he showed her the headquarters. The place looked like it was a palace, but it was one of several buildings. She knew the Adimari corporation was rich, but didn’t know they were rich enough to have built an entire island somewhere on the Pacific Ocean that was close to the Americas. 

—

In a grandiose building, a man stood in front of the window. The lighting in his office, and the fine dark black suit he wore, accented his golden beige skin. Amelia recognized from videos and pictures that this was Rex Aurelius Adimari, the Founder, Owner, and CEO of the Adimari corporation. “We wait until he leaves.” Ashe states. “If we attempt to enter while he’s there, we’ll be in a world of trouble.” They stake out watching as he communicates with an assistant. His expressions are stern. Sometimes he walks away from the window and then walks back. An hour passes before Aurelius snaps of his fingers and; the office lights dim before going out. Ashe holds out his hand for a moment. “He’s gone. Let’s make this as quick as we can.” Ashe whispers, concentrating to form a portal. The portal stabilizes, showing the roof. “Be careful. If anything happens, I want you to get out immediately.” Amelia nods, stepping through the portal and ending up at the roof. Quickly entering the building via the roof access.

She navigated the building quietly, listening to Ashe’s directions. Security was lighter than they expected, but the two of them remained vigilant. It was a floor down before Amelia could reach a changing room and morph the outfit into a lab coat befitting Adimari personnel. They arrived at the door and cursed their lack of foresight. They should have expected a keycard for the door. Thankfully, luck was on their side, thankfully, as an employee with a keycard passed by. With remorse, an invisible Amelia tripped the employee, grabbing the card and hiding it under the cloak while the employee scrambled for everything they dropped. Believing they had everything, the employee walks off. As soon as they’re out of sight, Amelia unlocks the door and tosses the card to the side before entering. She makes her way to the computer in the office. The office’s owner, as they found out through research, had access to details of the plans and luckily they were someone that needed a notepad for their passwords. Amelia went to work quickly, searching for documents that referred to the academy. Other projects caught her eyes. She copied all the pertinent files to the drive. 

“Done. Coming out now.” Amelia notifies Ashe via her smart watch. Closing her eyes, she envisions being next to Ashe. “Shadows that surround me, take me to my destination” she whispers concentrating on the image and willing herself there. When she feels the cool night breeze on her cheek, she knows she’s succeeded. Opening her eyes, she sees Ashe conjuring the exit portal off the island and they leave.

—

The files that Amelia found reveal that the academy functions as a testing ground. The Adimari Corporation wants to focus on training people to harness magic. More than that, the main campus was to be on the island at the new headquarters. then send tests out to schools separated into categories denoting the school’s status. Most of the people were those with substantial connections to the Adimari family. was also an initiative tied to the academy allowing lower-income attendees and their families to move to the island, being promised employment and housing.“I expected that from him.” Ashe scoffs. “I don’t trust his intentions are wholly good.”

“You know him that well?” Amelia asked. 

“Yes and no. We never sat around and made lunch plans or anything, but we’ve interacted in less than favorable ways.” Ashe answers. As they continue to review the documents, they find the reason for the island’s construction. According to the documents, the island is meant to serve the ground for a nation. The information confused Amelia.

“What does Aurelius even gain from building his own nation? He’s the richest man alive now and the richest black man since Mansa Musa, even with how much he’s noted to donate. He has global recognition for his achievements. I don’t get what he would gain by doing this.” Amelia questions while noting that Aurelius Adimari is a very sensitive topic.

“The only thing that I can tell you is that he’s not cartoonishly power hungry, but he hates ‘modern society’.” Ashe answers. “My hypothesis is that he targets these people specifically because he can and will make their life better. Imagine you’re at rock bottom and here comes this person offering you shelter, safety, and employment. A good deal of people might feel they owe their life to such a person. It doesn’t help that Aurelius is infuriatingly charismatic.” Ashe goes on. “It’s a tactic, but it’s a tactic that will work on many people. He will prove himselfto be way more competent than most existing governments, and I’m sure he picked the location being close to the United States for a reason.” Amelia was hesitant to agree, but she knew Ashe wouldn’t have a reason to lie to her. “Since he’s never mentioned it being a nation, I think he’s saving the reveal for later.” Ashe sighed. “This is the best we are going to get on the nation project unless we get onto Aurelius’ computer. Let’s see the other projects you saved.” They opened the file for the Alumni project.

The project seemed to be a basic plan to keep track of the most skilled students of the academy as some sort of Alumni program, as the text-to-speech droned on. Closing that, they opened the second project titled, “Bio-Core”. The horrifying document confirmed the abductions and their instructions. The vehicles were directed to be unmarked. The homeless and runaways were targeted at certain times a night. The document mentioned what would happen to the abductees as well. Closing the project, they opened the last one titled “Progenies”. The project mentioned Ashe by name, something that alarmed him. The two of them listened as the text-to-speech spoke of a truly disgusting and horrifying plan. Ashe’s anger and disgust grew the more they listened. The text-to-speech reading finished soon after.

“Ashe, I’m…I’m sorry, had I known.” Amelia stammered to fill in the silence.

“You’re fine, Amelia. There was no way you could have known.” Ashe consoled her. “But this is damn near confirming my theory.” He sat back. “The academy is training for magic, and he’s explicitly recruiting people who have nothing. Those people would most likely swear loyalty to him and to this newly built nation.” Ashe lists off. “He’d have a nation, an army of loyal and trained mages, and could easily make the world bend to his will. But he knows I’d be against him, that I would lead efforts to stop his expansion, so he needs me out of the picture.” Ashe sits back on the couch, glaring daggers at the PDF document on the screen. “But it’d be a waste to kill me,” Ashe’s tone is mocking, as if he’s imitating Aurelius’ deep voice. “So, what to do? And this is it.” he takes a sip of his water. “Two birds with one stone; I’m out of the picture and he’ll have the ‘key component’ to another project.” 

“S-surely, he couldn’t. I…” Amelia starts thinking back to her friends. Ones that have had their lives improved by the Adimari Corporation and Aurelius. How she had met Aurelius personally, and he was such a gentleman and family man. That Aurelius would be someone that would kidnap people for experiments. Amelia didn’t want to believe it, but the information in front of them was damning.

“It’s just a theory. Hell, you could call it a reach and I would agree. I need to confirm this myself, but I’m fairly confident that’s his plan.” Ashe stands up and stretches. “Even if it’s not, I’m kicking his ass for even thinking of using me like this.” Ashe mutters. “Thanks for your help, Amelia.”

“What are you going to do?” Amelia asks Ashe.

“I’m going to confirm that this is his plan.” Ashe answers simply. “ I can handle things from here.” Amelia shakes her head.

“Ashe, this is far too much for one person. I know you’re used to working alone, but think about this. You’ve been hiding from the world. Hell from Aurelius, this entire time.” Amelia starts. “His nation is almost complete and his academy is going to be global. By the time you figure out what his entire plan is, you’ll likely have the entire world against you.” 

“I won’t deny that you’re right, but I don’t want to put you in danger. It’s better if I do this alone-” Ashe starts his rebuttal.

“You won’t be able to do this alone is what I’m saying!” Amelia retorts with a clap. 

“Amelia, you said it yourself that my abilities are at a level people could only dream of reaching.” Ashe clarifies. “So,I’m the only person who can-”

“Can go against him and his hypothetical army you just posited?” Amelia interrupts. “Ashe, you know you can’t do this alone.” Amelia mulls over her next choice of words. “I may not be as powerful as you, but I want to help you with this.”

“Why?” Ashe asks.

“People I love and care about are about to be pawns in this man’s scheme albeit willingly. Even if it’s not for some world domination plot, I’m in this far and I need to see where this goes.” Amelia exclaims.

“I don’t know. Even if it’s just the two of us-.” Ashe, once again, tries to rebuke.

“You saw what the abductions were for. They’ll likely escalate.” Amelia points out. “You saved me from that, Ashe. Not only that, you taught me magic. I may not be at your level now nor soon, but that puts me at a level above the people who believe they need an Adimari Arcane Core to manifest magic.” Ashe was reflecting on Amelia’s words.

“It’ll be hard, but we can find out what he’s planning together and along the way, we may find allies. We’ll have a better chance,” Amelia points out. “But if you go it alone and get caught, then we have nothing.”

“You’re right, I can’t do this alone.” Ashe agrees. “We may not have a lot of information on his entire plan now, but we have enough to stop one of them.” Ashe stretches. “We have to stop the abductions for the Bio-Core project. It’s dangerous and insidious.” Ashe notices Amelia’s fist being extended towards him.

“Then leave the information gathering to me, Partner.” Ashe smiles, extending his own fist to meet Amelia’s.

—

“Construction of the Arcane Academy and the island is proceeding on schedule, sir.” Aurelius’ assistant reveals. “At the current pace, we’re expected to finish island construction early.” Flipping the page, they become tense. “However, we have had some reports from bases. It seems there have been some… complications regarding retrievals for the Bio-Core project.” they reveal. Aurelius raises a brow.

“What sort of complications?” Aurelius questions. He does not feel like having to pull his government strings and reminding them of their signed deal.

“Bases have reported that they have had one person actively interfering with their efforts,” that interested Aurelius greatly. One person shouldn’t be able to go up against MPIS officers. He listened as the assistant continued. “This person has been attacking vehicles, personnel, or infiltrating holding areas to free subjects,” the assistant lists off. Reports also suggest that this person has been using magic against them without the use of any core.” Aurelius, leisurely, gets up from his desk to walk over to the window. 

“So I wasn’t just imagining things.” Aurelius thought to himself. Remembering the energy signature he felt that night. Aurelius was sure he imagined the energy when he had felt two signatures instead of one. “Is there more to this person?” he asks his assistant, noticing that he stopped talking.

“The reports mention nothing substantial about the person aside from their outstanding magical ability, stating that they can open portals.” the assistant answered. Aurelius smirked to himself, fully confident. There was no doubt in his mind now that this was Ashe, finally showing himself after the Cyrene Event. “They’ve tried apprehending the person, but haven’t had any success.” the assistant continued.

“Send a message to all the bases; the retrievals are off. Prepare for recruitment.” he orders. “The Bio-Core Project will proceed to phase two.” He orders. “Keep the focus on the Arcane Academy and the island, I will figure out a way to deal with our mysterious interloper.”

“Affirmative, Mr. Adimari.” The assistant left.

“The little loner found some help, interesting.” Aurelius mused. “Now that you’ve shown yourself, it’s time to begin.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!
> 
> This piece will be continuing as its own series! I will update the notes here when I have everything for the series set up.


End file.
